Apparatus for coloring ale



(no Model.) A 4 G. W. ROBINSON. APPARATUS FOR COLORING ALE, em, UNDER PRESSURE.

No. 546,458. Patented Sept. 17,1895.

Witnesses: I I y nzbr, Jiw I Geqrye Wfiokz'nson.

6 i @MMAwfiLQ fllforngy UNITED ST TES PATE T OFFICE.

GEORGE W. ROBINSON, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR COLORING 5, 60., UNDER PRESSURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 546,458, dated September 17, 1895.

' Application filed July 20, 1895. Serial No. 556,591. (No model.)

- .To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. ROBINSON, of Albany,in the county of Albany and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Apparatus for Coloring Ale and other Liquids while Under Pressure, of which the following is a specification.

It is a frequent experience among brewers that when they havea large stock of pale ale in store they will be called to furnish a dark, but lively quality of ale immediately, and heretofore it has been impossible to fill such orders. The object of my invention is to remedy this difficulty by providing an apparatus by which a harmless coloring can be injected into the ale while under pressure in a containing vessel, so as to impart to the liquid any shade of color desired without rendering the ale or other liquid in the least degree inconducive to health, said coloring being a liquid solution of burnt malt or burnt sugar, either of which ,is perfectly inocuous The accompanyingdrawing, whichis herein referred to and forms part of this specification, shows-a longitudinal section of one form or my apparatus.

' As illustrated in the drawing, A designates the head of a barrel, cask, or other similar vessel in which ale or other liquid underpressure can be stored until readyfor use.

Said head has a metallic sleeve B inserted therein forthe purpose of connecting thereto a pipe by which the liquid can be conducted to any desired point of delivery. The sleeve ll has .a bushingC screwed into it, said bushing having a central opening 1, which forms a passage for thedischarge of the liquid contained in the vessel. The inner end of the bushing C has a valve-seat 2, against which a spring-controlled valve D will bear to form a liquid-tight joint. The outer end of said bushing is chambered to receive one end of a tubular key E, that is fitted to press the valve D away from the seat 2 when necessary. The key E is provided with wings 3, which take in spirally-arranged grooves 4, that are indicated by dotted lines in the drawing, to move said key inwardly to open the valve D when occasion requires. A handle 5 is formed on the key E to afford the means for operating said key.

The parts above described forma part of a tap for barrels and other vessels for containing ale and other liquids under pressure, and of itself it forms no part of my invention, except as part of the combination of the elements covered by the claims'hereunto appended.

F is a receptacle for containing the coloringliquid. Said receptacle is made in the form of a vertical cylinder whose top is open and whose bottom is closed. Extending from one side of said receptacle there is 'a tubular neck G, that is fitted to screw onto the outer end ot thekey E, and whose opening forms an op'en communication ,with the bore of said key. The neck Gcontains a spring-controlled check-valve H, that will prevent the liquid in the vessel from entering the neck. A cylindrical extension of the neck G is carried across-the bottom of the receptacle F on its inner side to form a barrel I 'for a pump which forms part of the apparatus, said pumpbarrelbeing extended from the side of the receptacle andfurnished with,a stuifipg-box J, which is provided with an annulus K, whose bore fits the stem of a plunger L, that is fitted to slide in the pump-barrel I. At the inner end of the pump-barrel a valvechamber M is formed to contain a springcontrolled valve N, which operates as an eduction-valve, and leading from the inner end of thebore of the pump-barrel a passage 0 is made to communicate with the valve-chamber below the valve, and leading from said valve chamber above the valve N an eduction-passage P'is formed, to communicate with the bore of the neck G between the check-valve II and the valve-chamber M; An inductionopening Q leads from the bore of the pumpbarrel into the, chamber of the receptacle F,

said opening being formed so that when the plunger L is drawn to the limit of its outward stroke it will uncover the openingQ to allow the liquid to flow into the pump-barrel and I outward movement of said plunger. The inward stroke of the plunger 1.. will force the coloring-liquid from the pump-barrel into the vessel that contains the liquid to-be colored. A handle R is fixed upon the Outer end of the plunger L, to facilitate the operation of the latter. Preferably a bonnet S is fitted to cover 5 in the key E to test the shade of color of the liquid under treatment.

It being understood that the sleeve B and its attached parts are perma'nentlyfixed in the head of the barrel or other vessel that operating my apparatus will be as follows: The apparatusis first connected to the bushing .0 by inserting the key E and fastening the same by the means provided for that purpose, so that the receptacle F will be at the upper side of the apparatus. The coloringliquid is then put in said receptacle while the plunger L is at the end of its inward movement. Then by drawing the plunger to the I willbe filled with the coloring-liquid. By an inward stroke of the plunger L the coloringliquid will be injected into the liquid contained in the barrel or cask. A little experience will enable an operative todetermine the number of injections of a particular coloring-liquid. that will be required to produce the shade of color required for the liquid to be treated.

' contains the liquid to be colored, the mode of outer end of its movement the pump-barrel I do not claim the separate elements of the combination herein claimed, for I am aware that when separately considered the same are old and well known; but,

What I claim as my invention, and desir to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a key, E, adapted to open a valve in a tap that is permanently fixed in a barrel or other vessel; said key being tubular, a receptacle for containing a coloring liquid, and an injecting-pump for injecting said coloring liquid into the ale, or other liquid, under pressure in a closed con; taining vessel, as and for the purpose specilied.

2. The combination of a tubular key, E, adapted to open the valve of a tap that is permanently fixed in a barrel or other vessel for containing liquid under pressure; said key having a try-cock which communicates with the bore of the key, a receptacle for containing acoloring liquid as herein set forth, and a pump for injecting said coloring liquid into the liquid under treatment, as and for the purpose specified.

GEORGE W. ROBINSON. Witnesses:

WM. II. Low, M. BISHOP. 

